.410 Shotgun reloading.

[Pro953]

Anyone here hand load for Shotguns? I bought a .410 to help my very small framed daughter start getting the feel for a shotgun. Challenge is .410 ammo is a bit tough to come by and mail order in my part of California is prohibited so I am thinking hand load would be the best option so build up some decent loads.

As cost savings and volume are not really the goal, what would you all recommend for a decent quality press?

We are chasing some turkeys and the pattern is not great so I would love to tinker with that as well. Not a lot of lead free .410 turkey loads.

For those that reload for shotguns especially a .410, any tips you would pass along for a rookie so I can avoid some of the early pitfalls?


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[MThuntr]

check out ballistic products. they have a bunch of reloading gear and load data. Even some TSS

Roll crimping is probably the lowest cost option

 

[Billy Goat]

Look for a used reloader. Mec Jr, old Hornady, Texan, or ponsness Warren. Get a few good manuals. Bpi is not always trusted, they have extrapolated some loads that tend to go way over pressure, not sure how many have actually gone through a pressure trace gun. Layman manual is pretty good for lead and has a lot of introductory information. You don't play around with shotshell loadings, don't work up till pressure signs. Follow the loads exactly. Same Hull, wads, primers, and weight of powder. Fillers can cause pressure spikes.

It's hard to find data for .410. Hal Abbot (hawglips) sells TSS and he provides data when you purchase shot from him. Might be worth contacting him. That makes a nice turkey load.

if lead free zone you can use bismuth as a lead substitute with some caution. It isn't quite as dense as lead so you can substitute a slightly lighter payload and usually get away with it. I wouldn't do it on a high pressure load. Never ever substitute steel for lead. Lead can compress and reduce pressure, steel can cause massive pressure spikes.

 

[Pro953]

Thanks Billy, I will reach out to the guy you mentioned selling TSS. That was my plan so securing some shot and load info from him would be great. Seems like beyond load data, wads for “non-toxic” shot in a .410 is pretty hard to come by.

Just what I need, another rabbit hole! But the reloading seems pretty straightforward, and excuses to take the kids shooting is always fun!

Thanks.


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[Terrapin]

I reload many thousands of shot shells per year in all gauges. For low volume like you probably need, I would recommend the MEC Jr single stage press. For turkeys and other hunting you will want to be able to load 3” shells. The smaller 2.5” 1/2 ounce loads are too anemic to kill efficiently. Finding components for 410 is notoriously difficult, and I find them the most difficult to load. I have killed numerous turkeys with my 410 using 3” #6 lead. All have been under 10 yards. TSS is prohibitively expensive even for turkeys.

If I can offer a suggestion, I would abandon the 410 in favor of the 28 gauge. Recoil is only slightly increased, they load easy, Hulls last better, components are lids finicky, and it seems to have better terminal performance due to more even patterns. It is bar none, my favorite gauge.


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[Billy Goat]

I reload many thousands of shot shells per year in all gauges. For low volume like you probably need, I would recommend the MEC Jr single stage press. For turkeys and other hunting you will want to be able to load 3” shells. The smaller 2.5” 1/2 ounce loads are too anemic to kill efficiently. Finding components for 410 is notoriously difficult, and I find them the most difficult to load. I have killed numerous turkeys with my 410 using 3” #6 lead. All have been under 10 yards. TSS is prohibitively expensive even for turkeys.

If I can offer a suggestion, I would abandon the 410 in favor of the 28 gauge. Recoil is only slightly increased, they load easy, Hulls last better, components are lids finicky, and it seems to have better terminal performance due to more even patterns. It is bar none, my favorite gauge.


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I agree mostly.

I don't use a 410, but I'm not opposed.

My favorite is 28 right now, lead for up to pheasants, then heavier than lead. A little bismuth for waterfowl, mostly hw13 and hw15.

I'd say if he already owns a 410 might be best to stay with it.

And TSS is expensive, but for your kid turkey hunting I'd do it. I load TSS for several guys in 12 gauge, they don't mind the price. Affordable is up to the purchaser. To each his own.

 

[N2TRKYS]

Don't buy a reloader for your turkey shells. Buy a drill press and a roll crimper.

 

[Pro953]

Thanks everyone. Yes TSS is expensive from what I can see, but being a lead free state and shooting a smaller gauge seems like it would be worth it. For quail, many not! But other than patterning not a lot of shells down the pipe during turkey so figure it’s worth a bit more.

Certainly not opposed to picking up a 28 gauge. Both kids are rather recoil shy so slowly bringing them up from the .410 to a 28 and eventually the 20 may work great. Always hate an excuse to add another gun to the safe.

I did look at a roll crimp option. May try that first just to tinker a bit, with all this new time we have around the house!

Hope everyone is knocking them down this season!


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